Toyota plans 2 new hybrids; Open tops give look at 2000
Toyota adds hybrids: As Colorado new-car dealers slowly feel their way toward a return to showroom normalcy, my thoughts for a few days are based on innovative gas-electric hybrid automobiles.
I’m driving this week the recently unveiled 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid Touring with all-wheel drive; it will be the focus of my reviews in the Post next Saturday.
At the same time, Toyota announced this week that it will introduce two allnew hybrids at a new product showcase next Monday at Toyota headquarters at Plano, Texas. The reveal will be hosted by Bob Carter, Toyota’s executive vice president of sales, and Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager for Toyota division.
No hints have been given as to which two new models will be highlighted; perhaps one will be the 2021 Sienna minivan, for which the hybrid would put it on more equal footing with the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid.
iSeeCars measures decline: Some used-car models have been impacted more than others in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown, social distancing measures and the accompanying economic downturn, according to statistics supplied by iSeeCars.com, an online car search engine. iSeeCars analyzed more than 1.8 million used cars for sale in February and March to determine the rate of sales decline from the first month to the second in the midst of the virus slowdown.
The 10 models with the greatest slowdown in sales, according to iSeeCars figures, are the Tesla Model 3 with a decline of 24.2 percent from
February to March, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid -20.9%; Volkswagen Atlas -19.4%; Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross -19%; Tesla Model X -17.5%; Chevrolet Spark -17.1%; Toyota RAV4 -16.8%; Toyota C-HR
-16.8%; Lexus GX460 -16.7%; Honda HR-V -16.6%.
Look back to 2000: Open-top models were popular at this time 20 years ago and, in a six-week stretch, I drove four – the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder
GT, the 2000 Jeep Wrangler Sport, the 2001 Audi TT Roadster and 2000 Chevy Corvette Convertible.
Sticker prices were $28,102 for the Mitsu, $24,260 for the Jeep, $37,025 for the Audi and $52,544 for the Vette.
The lead sentences:
“Settle into the driver’s bucket and look around; the refinements inside the Corvette softtop are impressive. Look down at the shifter – it’s automatic. Let’s go!”
“Audi TT has lost its top, adding one more roadster to that popular little European-based car clique – Boxster, SLK230 and Z3. The softtop version of the TT is every bit as appealing as the coupe, which arrived in the U.S. about a year ago.” “I’ve finished driving America’s most enduring vehicle, and I’ll say it one more time – few cars or trucks are more fun to drive for a week than the Jeep Wrangler. It’s offroad supremacy has been enhanced by refinements; some say it has been ‘citified.’” “Give me 15 seconds. . .Okay, the top’s down. The quick-drop top is a feature of the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder. The new one is roomier, rides and handles better than the previous generation.”